An Ayrshire family is thrilled to see their once housebound autistic daughter play in her new garden a year on from a bogus landscaper scam.
Wee Poppy Mulrainey, eight, was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) which is a congenital heart defect – meaning Poppy had the condition from birth - and has undergone open-heart surgery.
The brave Kilmarnock girl was left housebound for almost two years during the pandemic and was unable to play in her garden due to trip hazards.
But in 2021, Poppy's parents Jane and Craig jumped at the chance to utilise the self-direct support budget — which is used to help improve the lives of disabled children — to revamp the back garden for her.
Sadly, a bogus landscaper pocketed a portion of the cash from East Ayrshire's disability team and the work wasn't even started.
Last month the work was finally finished, and little Poppy is having a ball in her new garden.
Proud mum Jane told Ayrshire Live: "This garden has been a lifeline for Poppy.
"She can't get out on the street to play as it is too dangerous.
"And during lockdowns, Poppy really struggled with her mental health. It was horrendous.
"She always asked me if she could go out in her garden but it wasn't safe for her. It was a nightmare.
"The work was supposed to be done last year but because the first contractor -who can't be named for legal reasons- had taken the money for "a deposit" and then left it delayed the work till this year. We were absolutely devastated when that happened - I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.
"But then Robert Campbell from 'Boab's your Builder' agreed to take on the job without a deposit and Poppy just clicked with him and his team. She absolutely loves her garden and even wants to go out when it's raining.
"Robert got the work done in a week and I'm convinced he paid out of his own pocket for some of the features that wouldn't be covered in the council's budget.
"It was Poppy's 8th birthday on Tuesday, June 14 and the work was finished by the end of the week but Robert told me I should've let him know about the wee one's birthday because he would've moved jobs around to get it finished for her big day.
"I can't thank him enough."
Robert, who started Boab's your Builder during lockdown last year, said: "We dug out the garden and made it all level so it was safer for Poppy.
"I'm a dad of three and when I heard about the family's situation it just tugged at my heartstrings and I wanted to help them the best I could.
"We added a few extra touches to make it nice and worked on the full garden instead of just one section.
"I've only been in business for a year but everyone has been so supportive and I hope to give back and help out more people in the future as the business grows."
A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: "The East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) can confirm that a contractor was appointed and an initial payment was made on October 7, 2021.
"At this point the contractor had advised that works could not be started for three to four weeks, however after this period, despite various attempts by both the HSCP and the family, the company could not be contacted.
"Following this a different contractor was employed and works have been satisfactorily completed. The HSCP will continue to pursue recovery of the initial payment, where possible, from the contractor."
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
